Driving Lessons
by Drink Sparky Cola
Summary: Set a week after the events of 2x01, the broken team tries to put itself back together by throwing themselves into a new case, but an unexpected abduction of one of the team members forces them to put things into perspective to save one of their own.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I wrote the first few chapters of this story in between the first and second episodes of season 2. I had the idea prior to the season's start, but adjusted it to fit the 2x01 shocker, and it actually worked out quite nicely. It's just a shame I didn't get the story done faster so I could post it sooner. I've made it a personal rule over the years to only post stories that I have finished. Because if you're here right now then you certainly now how much it sucks to cut a story short before seeing it to the end..._

**Driving Lessons**

CHAPTER ONE

"What's on your mind, Dr. Lowery?"

Lloyd looked across the table at Dr. Lorenzo then averted his gaze to take in the small room, a private visiting room that had been set up for the cons' grief counseling sessions with the sixty-something year old man who now stared at Lloyd, pencil in hand but at rest.

"Actually, I was sort of wondering the same thing myself. Pretty sure these are the rooms usually reserved for conjugal visits..."

"Admittedly it's not my preferred setting for our meetings, but it's all the marshal's office would spring for." Dr. Peter Lorenzo allowed the briefest of smiles to flash on his otherwise serious expression. "Funny you mention that, though, your teammate Mr. Daniels made the same joke this morning in our session."

"Really?" Lloyd answered, leaning towards Dr. Lorenzo confidentially. "What else did the two of you talk about?"

"Dr. Lowery, you know I can't divulge any of that. Anyway, we're not here to talk about Shea. Or any of my other work, for that matter. We're here to talk about you, and Charlie Duchamp and Damien Fontleroy and anything else you feel the need to discuss. We've been at it 30 minutes now—of a 60 minute session, I might add—and so far all you've been willing to talk about has been the latest in our field of work."

"Maybe that _is_ all I want to talk about. Or maybe, I just wanted an hour away from the prisoner's yard to talk with someone normal and intelligent, someone who hasn't spent any portion of their life in cuffs." Lloyd looked up at the clock and realized he wasn't sure whether he wished for it to move faster or slower. Dr. Lorenzo studied the convict carefully and Lloyd picked up on this. "So, what? You'd rather I talk about—about how _sad_ I am that my boss died in front of me, about my hopes and fears regarding this job? Maybe how I am constantly terrified that that psycho is going to come back and shoot me in the back too?"

Dr. Lorenzo gave a half shrug. "If that's what you wish to talk about."

Lloyd scoffed. "This whole thing is stupid... You know, what I really want to know is this: what exactly did the marshals think they were going to accomplish by having me talk to you? I've got a PhD and almost 20 years of experience in psychological therapy. I already know what you're going to say about me. You're going to say that I'm being evasive and defensive due to a combination of P.T.S.D. and my egotistical belief that I have all the answers. You're going to say that I am suffering from maybe the teensiest bit of guilt due to my previous association with Damien and the fact that I was the last person to talk to Charlie alive. You're then going to tell me not to blame myself for Charlie's death or Damien's rampage, because I'm not responsible for the actions of that psychotic killer." At this point Lloyd pushed his chair back and stood, looking down at Dr. Lorenzo. "All of this, I can deduce on my own. What is it you think you're going to tell me that I don't already know?"

The older man took all this in calmly and looked up to meet Lloyd's gaze. "Well, Doctor, I guess you've done all the hard work for me already."

Lloyd huffed and looked down at his hands, noticing the ever so slight shaking that hadn't quite gone away since Damien had reentered the picture. He hid his hands behind his back quickly, hoping that Dr. Lorenzo hadn't seen but knowing he had. "This session is over. I don't think we should do this anymore," Lloyd answered succinctly, buzzing for the guard to remove him back to his cell. "It's a waste of both of our time."

BKBKBKBKBK

Ray sat in the empty office, reclining in his old chair while he rubbed a smudge on his newly-reinstated badge. He'd been waiting so long to hold that shield again, to know that it finally meant something once more, but he never wanted it to happen like this. He was in the process of moving his things out of the halfway house and into a new apartment, but he couldn't yet bring himself to move his things into Charlie's office; it hadn't even been a week.

Julianne was on her way back with the cons. Ray figured the marshal's office would want to assign him a new partner to help manage the team, but that hadn't happened yet, probably because they wanted to see how well Ray stood on his own two feet first. It was all for the best, really. Ray didn't want anyone else around anyway. The thought of someone else coming in to fill the void left by Charlie was unthinkable, insulting even...

When the rest of his team arrived, looking predictably sullen, Ray put his game face on, stuffing the badge in his back pocket. It felt beyond strange being the one leading the briefing, especially after all that they'd been put through; thankfully, Jules helped out where she could by taking over the task of presenting the file on their escaped con.

"This runner is 46-year-old Harold Lutz," Julianne said, passing out the envelopes to each team member. "He was an accountant until it was discovered that he was manufacturing methamphetamines secretly on the side. By the time law enforcement finally caught on to him, even his family had no idea."

"Great, so we're chasing Walter White?" Ray prompted.

"Who is that?" Shea and Lloyd asked at the same time. Erica shrugged, equally bewildered.

Ray just shook his head and waved a hand. "Never mind..."

Julianne smiled discreetly at Ray. "Anyway, Lutz was incarcerated in 2009 in maximum security after he was involved in the death of a dealer that worked for him and escaped today during a prison transfer. He killed the guard that was handling him by stabbing him with a shiv he... MacGuyvered in prison. He is now armed with a gun and believed to be unstable—" A beeping noise sent Julianne running for her computer, her eyes scanning briefly before looking up. "And apparently was recently spotted at the apartment complex of a known associate, Julio Diaz. It's about twenty minutes from here."

"Well, let's get on it then, no time for pissin' around today." Ray ushered the cons towards the door as Julianne called out after them.

"I'll, uh—keep you updated. If I hear anything."

BKBKBKBKBK

"Anyway, I don't know where you guys found that... that _quack_ but if he is the best the marshal's office can find, then I'll... eat my _hat_," Lloyd finished his over-long ramble as Shea raised an eyebrow at his choice of expressions.

"I heard Dr. Lorenzo came highly recommended," Ray provided, glancing at the two men in the backseat through the rearview mirror. Erica sat up front, leaning on her hand as she stared out the window at the cars they sped past.

"Recommended by _whom_, may I ask?" Lloyd scoffed. "Because that man is an _amateur _at best."

"That _amateur_ has 35 years under his belt, which, I think, is a bit more than you had before you got canned," Ray argued. "And of the two of you, which one has a license?" the marshal added facetiously. "Is it you, Lloyd?" Lloyd leaned back in his seat, arms folded. "Yeah, I thought so. Look, I don't care if you don't talk to Lorenzo but you gotta talk to _somebody_, Lowery. And the same goes for you princess," Ray jerked his head at Erica, whose only response was to turn her head slightly towards the marshal. "I heard you refused even one sit down. What's up with that?"

"I just don't see that I have anything to discuss," Erica responded plaintively. "Can we just talk about the case, please?"

Ray squinted at her briefly before returning his gaze to the road. "Alright... Fair enough." They pulled onto the side street Julianne had indicated, a neighborhood in a decidedly decrepit part of town, and Ray had barely gotten the address in his sights when several shots rang out from inside. Ray slammed on the breaks in the middle of the street and threw open his door at the same time as Erica. "Shea, you're with me. Erica, go around and cover the back."

"Not without a weapon."

Ray hesitated briefly before handing over his backup gun. "I'm trusting you with this—"

"Yeah, yeah," Erica was already off, weapon at her side.

"Wait, what do I do?" Lloyd asked from the backseat.

Ray shrugged. "I don't care, just wait here. Go park the car or something."

"But I can't drive," Lloyd pointed out.

"I don't care what you do with the car, Lloyd, just move it!" Ray yelled as he and Shea ran towards the front door.

Lloyd weighed his options quickly then resignedly got out and hopped into the driver's seat. "This is suuuuuch a bad idea," he muttered to himself, putting both hands on the steering wheel. He fumbled around for a minute to get his bearings, trying to figure out exactly how long it had been since he'd been behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. His mom had tried to teach him so many times in his teens and twenties, but it always ended in a screaming match when he inevitably added another dent or ding to her already-beat-up 83' station wagon. Awkwardly, he adjusted the mirror, then the seat, then the mirror again and was just about to throw the car into drive when the passenger's side door was yanked open and Lloyd found himself staring down the barrel of a gun for the second time that week.

The unmistakable face of the man they were chasing was behind that gun, and it never left Lloyd's line of sight as the runner climbed into the car, hauling a large duffel bag with him, which he threw in the back seat before slamming the door shut behind him. Harold Lutz looked Lloyd straight in the eye. "Drive."

"Allllllrighty then." Lloyd looked wildly at the house, but Ray and the others were nowhere in sight.

"NOW, or I'll shoot you in the head, kick your lifeless body out of the car and do it myself."

"You got it, pal," Lloyd answered quickly and slammed his foot on the gas, peeling out just as he spied Ray and Shea running out of the house, shouting something he couldn't hear. "Well," Lloyd muttered. "Son of a bitch."

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**Driving Lessons**

CHAPTER TWO

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" Lloyd shouted out the window as two girls he'd nearly run over with the SUV while crossing the street jumped out of the way, shouting curses after him in Spanish. In his attempt to right his course, Lloyd swerved and sideswiped a parked car, setting its alarm off. He added another half-hearted 'sorry' to the driver that would never hear him and tried to keep the wheel steady despite his shaking hands.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Lutz shouted incomprehensibly, waving the gun a little too much for Lloyd's liking. "Do you know how to drive?"

"No, I do not!" Lloyd returned. "I don't have a license. You picked a—a really bad chauffeur, by the way."

"Aren't you with the police? How do they let someone like you behind the wheel?"

"They wouldn't, normally. Anyway, I'm just a—uh—consultant with the police..." Lloyd chanced a look at the anxious criminal in the passenger's seat. "But—but don't let _that_ confuse you. They _will_ come after me just as earnestly as one of their own." He hoped that the bluff sounded more legitimate than it did in his head.

"Yeah, whatever." Lutz didn't seem too impressed, and the momentary distraction delayed Lloyd from noticing a stop sign he nearly blew through. He pumped the breaks awkwardly, throwing Lutz forward in the seat. "Watch it!" the con spat, bracing himself against the dashboard with his forearm. "Turn left up here. Then take a right at the stop light."

"You're the boss..." Lloyd followed the directions, glancing in the rearview mirror every few seconds expecting to see Ray, or another squad car, _something_. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the irreverence of the situation. He was actually _hoping_ to be chased by Ray Zancanelli. That was a first, for sure.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"Nothing," Lloyd answered quickly. "Just... thinking how proud my mother would be if she could see me now. _Driving_. Like an adult." Lloyd flashed a smile at his uninvited passenger. "Who knew that all it took to get me behind the wheel was a loaded gun? I'm sure she would have _loved _to try that tactic out herself." Lloyd's eyes scanned the inside of the vehicle as long as he dared to take his eyes off the road, searching for anything he could use to warn the others. But maybe that wasn't necessary? Surely the vehicle was equipped with a LoJack. Julianne would be tracking them right now and telling Ray and the others their location?

Interrupting Lloyd's thoughts, Lutz reached over with his free hand and started digging in Lloyd's pocket. Coming up empty, he reached across into the other one. "What are you doing?" Lloyd asked, but received his answer when Lutz sat up straight again, brandishing his phone. Without saying a word, he flipped the phone open and broke it in two pieces, tossing the dismantled pieces out the window.

"What's your plan anyway? Do you really think you're going to get away from this? They're gonna find us. You're not going to—"

"What's your name?" Lutz interrupted.

"What?"

"You know everything about me. It's only fair I get to know something about you," Lutz said plaintively.

"Lloyd Lowery," Lloyd answered cautiously.

"Lloyd, take a right up there and pull into that parking lot. It's time for your next segment of driver's training."

BKBKBKBKBK

"Sonufabitch!" Ray fumed as the black SUV sped out of sight. He stomped his foot frustratedly and stuffed his gun back into its holster.

"Did that dude just steal your car? ... With Lloyd in it?"

"Not a word, Daniels!" The pair had just come from inside the house where they found Julio Diaz's body, and Lutz with the smoking gun nearby. Lutz took a few shots at them before he slipped out a side door and apparently into their waiting car. Ray whipped out his phone but before he could dial the local law enforcement, Erica jogged into sight, joining them.

"What's happening? I went around back but there was no one there, then I heard the gunfire. Where's the car?"

"Lutz stole the car," Ray said.

"More to the point, Lutz stole Lloyd," Shea added.

"WHAT?" Erica asked, turning accusatory eyes on Ray. "How could you let that happen?"

"I didn't _let_ anything happen! It just... happened—hold on a minute!" Ray plugged his ear to talk to the officer on the other end of the line, describing his car and license plate for them.

"This is unbelievable," Erica stalked off, kicking an empty recycling bin by the side of the road. "Where were the two of you?!"

Ray finished his call and hung up to address his irate team member. "I was inside, trying to chase that son of a bitch down after he just killed his accomplice. I had no way of predicting this was going to happen, Erica; no one could."

"Lutz murdered Diaz? And now he's got Lloyd?" Erica's face went through a torrent of emotions in just a few quick seconds before settling on a quiet fury that made even Shea's blood run cold. "Call Julianne. Get her to track your car."

"Already on it," Ray answered, tapping his foot impatiently with each ring. Julianne picked up on the second, ready and eager to help as always. "Jules, I need you to activate the LoJack on my car. The runner sort of... stole it."

"He _stole_ your car? How did that happen?" Julianne asked over the sound of her fingers tapping the keyboard. "How did he get the keys off you? Are you okay?"

Ray sunk his face into his free hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I'm fine. He didn't... I left them in the car... Jules, that's not all..." Ray hesitated. "Lloyd may be in the car with him." There was a pause and sudden silence on the other end of the line. "Jules?" Ray prompted after a moment.

"Yes, yes I'm here. I'm, uh, zeroing in on the location now. Just give me a few more seconds. I'm texting the address to Erica." Erica's phone beeped a few seconds later and she held it up to Ray, who nodded and thanked Julianne. "Just... let me know when you find them. _Please_."

"You got it, kid." Ray hung up just as a pair of police cars rounded the corner, lights flashing. Ray caught Erica looking at the ground forlornly until she noticed and straightened up, wiping her expression. "We're gonna get him back," Ray told her. "We are _not_ letting this one slip away."

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**Driving Lessons**

CHAPTER THREE

Lloyd walked ahead of Lutz, hands at his sides as the latter searched for a replacement vehicle in the mall parking lot. He tried to calculate the possibility of getting shot if he tried to run and mentally weighed his options but before he could muster the courage to do anything, Lutz told him to stay put and made a beeline for a young woman rushing towards the mall entrance, wearing a Chili's uniform. Lloyd wanted to shout a warning but could not react fast enough and watched as Lutz corrected his posture into a casual position and 'accidentally' collided with her, knocking her large purse and its contents to the ground.

Lutz put on a sweet face as he apologized and helped her gather her things before handing them back to her, furtively pocketing something Lloyd couldn't see. Lloyd wondered if he should intervene but Lutz still had the gun; there was no telling if this could turn violent if Lutz were pressured, so he stayed put. "Again, I'm terribly sorry. I really need to watch where I'm going," Lutz smiled at the obviously flustered woman.

"It's alright, really. I've got to go, I'm really late for my shift," she said somewhat irritably, pushing past him. Lutz held the door for her as she went then returned to a shocked Lloyd. The whole exchange had taken less than thirty seconds; it took only a few minutes more to locate the beat-up blue Honda the waitress owned using the keys Lutz had lifted from her.

"Get in," Lutz ordered, gun held low as he gestured to the driver's seat.

"You still want _me_ to drive?" Lloyd asked, incredulous.

"You know, you're right, maybe I should let you hold the gun this time," Lutz said thoughtfully. Lloyd frowned and Lutz's expression faded into a scowl. "Get _in_ now, before we're noticed."

"Alright, alright," Lloyd muttered, sliding into the driver's seat as Lutz jogged around to the other side. "I don't even know why you _need_ me here anymore."

"You're with me until I say you're done," he said, putting the keys in the ignition and starting it up. "Now stop talking."

"If we're going to, uh, continue this impromptu road trip of ours, then you should know right now that that command is _probably_ not going to work out very well. I'm kind of a nervous talker... Actually I'm kind of a regular talker too, so you understand the full breadth of my meaning when I say I tend to ramble a bit when my nerves are frayed."

Lutz groaned, sinking his face into his hands. "I'm starting to realize why they left you in the car."

"Yeah, my coworkers find me to be very obnoxious. But what can I say? Nobody's perfect..." Lloyd's eyes scanned the parking lot fervently as he carried on his stall tactic. _Come on, Ray, don't fail me now... _he thought, but no sign of any squad cars and from Lutz's anxious tapping on the dashboard, Lloyd knew it was only a matter of seconds before he was pistol-whipped or worse.

"Come on, let's go," Lutz ordered, emphasizing this point.

"Whups, car can't go anywhere until everyone's got their seatbelts on," Lloyd said. "It's a Lowery Law, the household code of my dear, sweet... horrible mother." Lutz rolled his eyes as Lloyd took his sweet time pulling the buckle into place. He looked to Lutz, "Aren't you going to put yours on?" At the venomous stare the criminal returned, Lloyd decided to stop pressing his luck. "Alright, suit yourself."

He started to reach for the clutch when an idea occurred to him on the fly. He pulled the handle past R to D then pushed down on the gas pedal, propelling the car forward into the car in the opposite space. The metal crunch could be heard over the sound of Lutz's cursing and Lloyd quickly moved the car into reverse. "Sorry, I told you I was terrible at this—" He accelerated a little too quickly in the reverse, scraping the white car next to them as well. "Sorry again, I got this, don't worry about me." Lloyd flashed a quick smile and drove on, hoping that would be enough to give the others a heads up. He knew he ought to be thinking a few steps ahead here, but all his brain could focus on was the gun and the violent criminal in the hot seat who didn't care whether he lived or died. Something would come to him; for now, he would just have to do as he was told.

BKBKBKBKBK

"There—there! Stop the car!" Erica was out of the police cruiser before it was fully stopped and was the first to reach the SUV but Ray and Shea were close on her heels. "There's nobody here," Erica said, doing a once-over with her eyes as she rounded the back of the vehicle.

"Okay, well, we expected that," Ray said. "But next time why don't you wait for the guy with the gun before you go charging in headfirst?"

"Why don't you just give me a gun instead?" Erica snapped back, but she continued her search of the vehicle, which had been left unlocked and discarded on the side of the road near an oil change shop. They'd commandeered a police vehicle for the time being and sped to the location Jules had provided for the SUV. Lloyd's phone had gone off the radar almost immediately, which didn't surprise them. Erica's eyes traveled over to the mall across the street and the multitude of unoccupied cars and afternoon shoppers. "They must have picked up a car from over there."

"Not a bad idea," Shea agreed. "Plenty to choose from, and the owner might not notice it's been stolen for a few hours."

"Great, so we've only got a few hundred options," Ray said, exasperated. "C'mon, let's go see if anyone saw anything."

"You mean, let's go see if anyone noticed two normal-ass white guys walking around?" Shea asked sarcastically. "I'm sure we'll get plenty of tips on that."

They crossed the street, eyes scanning the cars in the lot for anything suspicious. Erica was still observing silently while Ray and Shea talked to a few patrons and the lot's security guard, none of whom had noticed anything out of the ordinary in the past half hour. "We have some security cameras around the building," the security guard suggested. "Maybe they picked up something?"

Ray shook his head but said, "We can try, but we're sort of on a time crunch here. Anything that'll speed up that process would be great."

Something caught Erica's eye at the end of a row of cars a few lanes over. A woman flagged down one of the extra police cruisers that had followed them to the area and gestured behind her to her car with one hand, phone to her ear in the other. The police officer shook his head and pointed to their team, indicating that he was too busy, but Erica jogged over before he could drive off. "Over here," she called out to the others.

"Well, if _you're _not going to do anything about it then who am I supposed to call?" the exasperated woman argued.

"I'm sorry, miss, as I explained to you already I'm responding to another call, but if you call the police station a uniformed police officer should be with you shortly."

"Great," the woman scoffed, raising her phone back to her ear and speaking to the person on the other line. "Yeah, he's not gonna write me a police report. I have to wait, apparently."

"Hold on, what's the problem here?" Erica called out as she jogged up to them.

The woman eyed Erica for a moment but lowered her phone and gestured to her SUV with its crumpled front bumper. "Someone did this to my car while I was shopping and took off without leaving their information. I want them to figure out who is responsible. Someone has to pay for this!"

Erica surveyed the damage to the bumper then swiveled her gaze to the scrape left on the white car parked diagonally from the irate woman's. "What do you guys think?"

"You think our boy is leaving us a trail to follow?" Ray answered, following her line of thinking.

"Or he just really sucks at driving," Shea offered sarcastically, but they all knew what really happened there.

"Well, it's definitely worth checking out. You," he pointed to the nearest uniformed officer. "Go inside and ask around about whose car that might be. We'll go check out the security camera footage."

"Is someone finally going to help me out here? I have places to be right now," the irritated SUV driver piped up.

"Lady, we're working on getting you a valid police report but right now I'm going to have to ask you to put a lid on it. I have a lot more important things to worry about right now than your dinged bumper." The woman wrinkled her lip in disgust but, properly put in her place, she returned to her car and her phone call, effectively silenced for the time being.

_C'mon Lowery_, Ray thought as he jogged after the uniformed officers through the mall entrance, his team at his heels. _Just keep dropping those bread crumbs._

_TBC_


	4. Chapter 4

**Driving Lessons**

CHAPTER FOUR

After leaving the mall parking lot, Harold Lutz had directed Lloyd straight to the freeway, which they had been traveling on for the past twenty minutes with no sign of any police or rescue; Lloyd had been checking as often as he dared to take his eyes off the road. There had been a few close calls and a _lot_ of horns honking when Lloyd had tried merging but after settling in and getting the hang of things, Lloyd decided his first attempt at freeway driving wasn't going too poorly. The steady flow was a lot easier to maneuver than the stop and go of street traffic. He could actually get used to this sort of thing... assuming he lived long enough to try.

"So, uh, where are we going anyway?"

"You don't need to know that." Lutz looked straight ahead, fingers tapping the handle of the gun he kept in his lap.

"I may have failed driver's training ... eight times, but if I understand anything about driving, it's usually best to know where you're driving _to_," Lloyd tried. He was desperate for a plan. Somehow he didn't think it would go over so well if he tried sideswiping a car on the freeway.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell you when to stop," Lutz replied evenly.

"I don't think that choice is entirely yours," Lloyd said, eying the gas gauge. "If I'm reading this correctly, we're almost out of gas."

Lutz leaned over to confirm and cursed loudly when he saw Lloyd was right. They drove on in silence for the next ten minutes until Lutz apparently found a gas station he trusted and told Lloyd to pull off into it. The station was fairly empty, despite being close to the freeway. Only one other vehicle was pumping gas and a single employee stood behind the counter, flipping through a magazine. He didn't even look up when Lloyd and Lutz pulled up to pump four and got out.

"You fill her up, then wait for me. Don't try anything stupid either." Lloyd watched him go then turned to the pump and removed the nozzle. He may not know how to drive a car but he'd had more than enough experience pumping while his mom went inside to buy cigarettes. This part he had down. Lloyd watched out of the corner of his eye as Lutz walked around to the side of the building in an attempt to gain some privacy and pulled out what looked like a cell phone. Lloyd guessed it must be a disposable phone and wondered if there would be a way to track it while he furtively listened in on Lutz's call.

"I've got the money, I'm coming to you... Never mind about him. He won't be a problem..." There was a sudden cacophony from the other hand as what seemed to be a female voice raised in timbre, shouting at Lutz. The escapee jerked the phone away from his ear at the surprise. Lloyd watched out of the side of his eye as he gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles going white. "What would you have me do then?" he asked through gritted teeth, then: "Do you know what I've gone through to get to you? To my _son_? I am coming to get you and we are leaving today... I don't care where! I've got more than enough money to take us wherever we want to go. But I am not leaving without my son, do you hear me?" The car finished filling up but Lloyd froze, waiting to hear how the call turned out. He must be calling his wife to fill her in on the escape plan, but it sounded as if she didn't want to go. This was good, though, Lloyd thought. This was a solid lead, something he could work with. Lutz's voice lowered a few octaves; Lloyd strained to hear the words he spoke. "You can doubt me all you want, but I _will_ be coming to collect my son today. Whether or not you come with us is up to you, Sonja." The flip phone was audibly snapped shut as Lutz abruptly ended the call. Lloyd awkwardly returned the hose to its place as Lutz looked up sharply and gestured for him to follow.

"I don't want you saying anything to anyone," Lutz warned as they walked into the store. "If I hear you so much as hint at giving me away, I'll put a bullet through your forehead and the clerk's, d'you hear me?" Lloyd nodded assent and Lutz made for the cooler first, reaching up to grab a couple bottles of water. While he was momentarily preoccupied, Lloyd wandered down the snack aisle, eyeing the bags of chips. He reached out, fingers brushing a bag of Lays and held on a moment, shifting his gaze to the clerk, whose dark eyes were fixed firmly back on him. He could steal the bag of chips, slip it into his jacket just like that. The clerk knew what Lloyd was thinking; it would be _so_ easy...

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Lutz muttered in a low voice, suddenly appearing in the aisle opposite. "Remember what I said?"

Lloyd abruptly retracted his fingers and followed Lutz to the front of the store as the latter paid for their stop with a few of the crisp bills from the bag Lutz had stolen earlier. The threat of Lloyd's larceny gone, he no longer seemed interested in interacting with the pair and rang up their purchase dully, without making eye contact. Lloyd felt his chance at freedom slipping away in seconds and bought himself some time at the last second by blurting out, "I have to use the restroom."

Lutz raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but Lloyd ignored him as the clerk wordlessly reached under the counter and handed him the key. "It's out back, return the key when you're done." Lloyd walked around the building slowly, the escapee close on his heels.

"We have places to be, Lowery."

"I can't help it if I have a small bladder. My mother always said I was terrible on long car rides. She said it was my fault we never went down to Disney World." He unlocked the dingy, single-stall bathroom and was about to close the door behind him when Lutz stopped it with his hand and propped it open, waiting. "What, you're just going to watch?"

"I don't trust you any farther than I can throw you. Do your business so we can hit the road."

"Pervert," Lloyd muttered half-heartedly, his hopes dashed once more. Thankfully, years in prison cured him of his shy bladder and he really _did_ have to pee, so his attempt at distraction wasn't completely foiled. On their way back to the car, Lloyd turned at the last second. "Oh, I almost forgot to return his key!" He dashed back to the store before Lutz could object but the criminal watched him carefully. Lloyd smiled as he handed the key to the clerk. "Thanks, pal, my buddy's anxious to get to his wife, Sonja. She just had their first son. Gotta go!" Without wasting any more seconds, Lloyd turned heel and rejoined an impatient Lutz, climbing into the driver's side once more. As they pulled away from the gas station, Lloyd hoped his only clue would be enough.

BKBKBKBKBK

It took nearly three quarters of an hour to access the security camera footage from the parking lot, identify the owner of the car and get a license plate. From the camera, all they could make out was the make and model of the car Lloyd and Lutz had gotten into. The employee, distinguished by her work uniform, had to be sought out and briefed on her situation to get the rest of the info. Then all they could do was put out an APB and hope that a red flag went up somewhere nearby. Aside from that, they had no clue on the pair's whereabouts, but that didn't stop them from following leads.

"The runner's ex-wife lives not too far from here. She was informed about his escape and told to contact us if she heard anything but I think it's time we paid her a visit ourselves," Ray told his team.

"Might as well," Shea agreed. "Beats sittin' around here waiting."

Within twenty minutes the trio found themselves sitting in the living room of Harold Lutz's ex-wife, a blonde woman in her late forties. A cop car had been stationed outside since the news of Lutz's escape came out and the voices of children playing could be heard in the next room.

"Are you sure you haven't heard from him, Mrs. Lutz?" Ray asked the tired-looking woman as he sat opposite her on the couch.

"I go by 'Evanson' now," she began. "And I'll tell you what I told the cops who came by this morning: I don't know anything about what my ex-husband is planning. He hasn't tried to contact me or any of the children since his escape. We've been here all day; I pulled the kids out of school the moment I heard. There's even a police escort outside—ask him. He can tell you no one has been here."

Ray looked to his team dubiously. Erica nodded and gave a slight shoulder shrug, as if to say, 'sounds legit.' Indeed, it did not seem as if the former Mrs. Lutz was lying.

"The moment I found out about my husband's drug business I took the kids and left. I've wanted nothing to do with him since," she pleaded sincerely. "Please, if he has something planned, I would have no part of it."

"We don't mean to accuse, Mrs. Evanson, we're just lookin' for clues here. Harold kind of... got the upper hand on us earlier today." Erica said nothing, but audibly scoffed and left the room, to Mrs. Evanson's confusion.

Ray's phone buzzed then and he whipped it out and answered it after a single ring. "Excuse me—" he said to the ex-wife then, "Jules, what've you got for me?" He hit the speaker button just as the young woman began to rattle off her new information.

"We got a hit on the Honda belonging to the waitress," Julianne said quickly. "It was spotted at a gas station near the freeway, the BP off of I-87. No more than 20 minutes ago. They filled up, bought a few bottles of water and left. The clerk didn't see which way they went, but I think we can assume they continued heading north."

"Alright, that's a good start, Jules, thanks—"

"_That's_ not all..." Julianne began. "The clerk said they weren't acting all that strange, except for 'something the younger guy said as he was leaving.' He said his buddy was anxious to get to his wife, Sonja, who was having their first son. The clerk felt it was an awkward offering of personal information, but didn't think anything of it until he saw the bulletin on the news."

Erica and Shea's minds were abuzz with possibilities. "That's definitely a clue," Erica spoke. "Sounds like he's coming for his son."

"Mrs. Evanson?" Ray asked her as she simply sighed, closing her eyes with a beaten expression.

"We have two daughters," she spoke after a few seconds, and sank her head into her hands. "I should have known... All that time he denied it, but I should have known he was lying about her too."

Ray should have guessed sooner. Mrs. Evanson-formerly-Lutz was _not_ named Sonja. Her name was Karen.

"She's the mistress," Shea supplied then. "He's going to see his mistress."

"Sonja Krupnov. They met at his work. We ran into her at a work function and I began to suspect... When I confronted Harold about it, he swore up and down that nothing was going on between them and I _believed_ him at the time. I'd almost forgotten until I heard that name just now..."

"Jules, you get all that?" Ray asked, walking away from the living room. He felt ashamed carrying on his business in same room as the anguished woman and had no idea what he could say to make her feel better. Lloyd and Charlie were always best at that touchy-feely crap. Erica and Shea looked just as uncomfortable about the situation too, standing nakedly around the room.

"Got it," Julianne responded. "Sonja Krupnov. Worked with Harold Lutz at RenTech. She is no longer employed there but she still lives in New York. I'm sending her address to your GPS and texting you her phone number momentarily."

"You're a lifesaver."

"Just keep me up to date," Julianne answered brusquely, and ended the call after a brief but to-the-point, "Good luck."

_TBC_


	5. Chapter 5

**Driving Lessons**

CHAPTER FIVE

With no time to waste, Ray and his remaining team members thanked Lutz's ex-wife and took off, sirens ablaze. Ray insisted Erica drive so he could handle the phone call to the mistress.

"Hello?" The young woman, with just a trace of a northern European accent, answered on the second ring, already sounding tentative.

"Sonja Krupnov?"

"Yes, speaking—"

Ray plunged ahead without waiting. "Ms. Krupnov, this is Ray Zancanelli with the U.S. Marshal Service. I'm calling in regards to your connection with Harold Lutz, who excaped from prison this morning and we believe to be on his way to you. Has he tried to contact you at all today?"

"I—I don't..." Sonja faltered.

"Listen, normally I'd approach this matter differently but I'm on a bit of a time crunch today and I need us both to be straight with each other. I know you're Mr. Lutz's former lover, I know he's the father of your son and I know he's coming to see you." What Ray _didn't_ know was whether Sonja was in on the escape plan but he had to take a gamble and pray that she wasn't or else this plan was never going to work. "If you're not involved then I can help you, but you've gotta do me a favor first, you understand?"

There was a long pause then, "Yes, I understand."

"Alright, first off, has Harold contacted you yet?"

"Yes, he called me from some random number. He wants to come pick up me and Niko and go away with him but I do not want to go, you have to believe me! I told him to stay away and leave us alone."

"I believe you, Sonja."

"I don't think it worked though... I don't know what to do."

"Well here's what you're gonna do. We're coming your way. I need you to take your son immediately and go to the nearest police station. You said you have a way of contacting Harold?" Sonja replied in the affirmative. "Then call him back and tell him you'll agree to meet him, but not at your place. I need you to find a place inside the city, south of where you're located. We need to buy some time or we'll never get to you before Harold does. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand. I'll send him to my cousin's house." She gave Ray the address and he entered it into the GPS then hung up, making Ray promise to call her when the coast was clear.

Erica snuck a sideways glance at Ray as the marshal instinctively inspected his gun in the passenger's seat. "You know, we have no idea if the mistress is on the level. She could be in on it with Lutz. For all you know, she could be calling him up right now and telling him that we're on his trail."

Ray shook his head. "I have to believe that she won't. I have to believe she'll do what's best for the kid. You should have a little more faith, bein' a mom and all."

Erica flinched, but her gaze remained forward. "That's precisely why I don't..." She added, more quietly, "Not every mother does what's best for their kid."

"This is gonna work," Ray insisted, changing the subject. "We're gonna get our boy back."

"I hope you're right," Erica replied, uncharacteristically morose. "I can't do this again. I can't lose another team member."

From the back seat, Shea leaned forward, elbows resting on the backs of their seats. "I don't suppose we can count on Lloyd to overpower the dude and get away on his own?" There was a telling silence in response, broken only by the hum of the engine as Erica increased the pressure on the gas pedal.

BKBKBKBKBK

The ride had been quiet for some time when it was broken suddenly by the ringing of Lutz's cell phone. He whipped it out and raised it to his ear. "Given more thought to what I said?" the con asked smugly.

The response on the other end of the line was quiet but Lloyd could still hear the faintly-accented woman's response. "Yes, I don't want any trouble, Harry... I will meet you so we can talk."

Somehow, Lloyd suspected there wouldn't be much to talk about. In the time since the gas station he'd been thinking about the phone call and the woman on the other end. He was ashamed to admit it took him this long to realize that Sonja was not the name of Lutz's wife, nor did he have a son. He'd been wondering why the woman hadn't just gone straight to the police if she didn't want Lutz to come for her. She'd have plenty of time to run. The realization hit Lloyd like a ton of bricks and he felt stupid for not catching onto it earlier. Of course, Sonja must have been the mistress, and the boy the illegitimate byproduct of their affair. Lutz wanted nothing to do with his ex-wife or his daughters; he was going after his heir. This could end up being a problem, seeing as Lloyd's bread crumbs pointed towards the wife... He desperately hoped that Sonja wasn't in on this. Her actions may be evasive but she certainly sounded like she didn't want Lutz around.

"Good, pack a bag for you and Niko, enough for a few days and have it ready for me in twenty minutes. You won't need much; I can replace anything else."

"There's one more thing—" Sonja began. "I'm not at home, I'm at my cousin's." Lloyd didn't hear the address she gave Lutz but saw the suspicion in the criminal's eyes as they narrowed.

"Alright, I'll meet you there, BUT—" He lowered his voice an octave and leaned away from Lloyd. "If this is a trick, if you're trying to send me off course, I _will_ find you and I will take my son, by _force_ if necessary. Whether or not you want to come with us is your choice, Sonja." There was a pause and a quiet response that Lloyd couldn't hear and Lutz snapped the phone shut, slipping it back in his pocket as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Finally he said, "Take the exit up here and get back on southbound. Slight change of plans."

Lloyd did as he was told and made the turn around. The drive was silent for some minutes before he felt inclined to test the waters again. "So she, uh, agreed to go with you after all, huh?" Lutz shot a warning glare his way, but said nothing, so Lloyd probed further. "Sonja... That's not your wife, is it? You're not planning on running away with your wife, Harold."

"That is none of your goddamn business," Lutz snapped icily. "Drive."

But that wasn't good enough for Lloyd. Maybe it was stupidity, maybe it was his own misplaced betrayal at a father that walked out on his family, or maybe he was just too frustrated to play along with the ticking time bomb riding shotgun, but Lloyd kept going. "Only, it doesn't really sound like she wants to go with you. I mean, I could be wrong, but it sounds a bit like she _hates_ you."

"I don't care what she thinks of me. I'm taking my son one way or the other."

"Still," Lloyd tilted his head, palms sweating on the steering wheel. "It's pretty unfortunate that your wife and mistress both want nothing to do with you. Must feel bad, huh?"

The small sound that Lutz made was definite evidence that Lloyd's prodding was getting through to him. It was also evidence of what thin ice Lloyd was putting himself on.

"You know, Harold, I've been thinking a lot about my job lately, questioning what I'm doing here and such. It's a pretty dangerous job, as you can see."

"You don't say," Lutz said airily.

"I do. As a matter of fact—" Lloyd hesitated. "As a matter of fact, my boss—my... dare I say, _friend_ was murdered just last week, right in front of me." At this gutsy proclamation, Lutz quieted down, his interest piqued, for the first time that afternoon, by something Lloyd said. Still, he was clearly unwilling to share this with Lloyd. Only the slightest inclination of his head to the left let Lloyd know he was listening. "I knew the guy for almost a year. Guess I didn't know him all that well, but he was a good guy. More than that, he was a good _marshal_, and he was murdered quite unexpectedly..." Lloyd couldn't believe he was doing this. All week they sat him down in front of Dr. Lorenzo and implored him to talk. Ray hounded him to talk to someone and who does he finally end up talking to? The runner. "Anyway, _he_—my boss—he's the one who is actually armed, so you can imagine my dilemma when I think 'What the hell am _I_ doing here?' I can't fight, I'm no good with a gun, and they wouldn't let me have one anyway. It's a good job but is it really worth my life?"

Lutz was beginning to tire with Lloyd's digression. "Is this going anywhere Mr. Lowery?"

_Was it? _Lloyd thought. What was he trying to accomplish anyway? Stalling? Diverting Lutz's attention to get the upper hand? Lloyd wasn't really sure this story had a point yet. Maybe he was just baring his soul because he knew there was no way this field trip was going to end without a complimentary bullet between his eyes._ I mean, why the hell not talk it out?_

But then he saw it. He had to check the rear view mirror twice to be sure but he was certain. Ray's SUV. It was behind them—too far behind—but gaining a few car lengths as it sped in and out of traffic. When it was fifty feet away, Lloyd was sure of it. Ray's telltale bald head could be clearly seen in behind the windshield, Erica at the wheel. _Yes_! Lloyd thought triumphantly. _Go team!_ He swallowed his enthusiasm and attempted to continue distracting Lutz.

"My point, Harold, is this: I've spent this whole week trying to come up with a reason to continue doing what I'm doing, asking myself why I put my life in danger all the time. And then I realized, it's to bring down _creeps_ like you." Harold turned sharply, eyes narrowed. "You are a psychopath, Harold. You're a criminal—an irredeemable one—and now you want to bring that poor woman and her child down with you. I can't let you get away with that—I _won't_."

Lutz tightened his grip on his gun, finger curling around the trigger as he seethed. "And what are _you_ going to do to stop me?"

Before Lloyd could muster a response to that, the SUV pulled into the space directly behind them. Ray's voice came over the loudspeaker, startling Lutz momentarily. "This is the U.S. Marshal service. Pull your vehicle over, Lutz." For the first time, Lutz noticed their tail, and Lloyd noticed several more police cruisers some length behind that. Backup, keeping their distance in the hopes of ending this peacefully.

Fat chance of that happening.

"Drive faster," Lutz ordered, rolling down his window. He aimed at the SUV and fired a few rounds, one of them pinging off the grill of the SUV. Lloyd kept his pace, his knuckles going numb from gripping so hard.

Ray leaned out his own window and returned a warning shot that took out the side mirror, sending Lutz scrambling back inside the vehicle momentarily but, undaunted, he went for round two, this time with better aim. With just three shots, Lutz managed to shoot out the front right tire. The SUV careened madly for a moment before Erica regained control and slowed the vehicle down. Lloyd watched in dismay as the gap between him and his best hope for survival quickly widened. The cop cars continued pursuit, but with the disabled SUV, and other traffic, it was much easier for their car to get away.

Up ahead, Lloyd spotted a police barricade, lights flashing as traffic was redirected and he slowed to match the flow of traffic. "What are you doing?" Lutz demanded. "Keep going!"

"I can't!" Lloyd argued and gestured to the blockade. Lutz cursed under his breath.

"You'd better hope we get through, because if not, the first thing I'm going to do is put a bullet in your brain. I'm already wanted for one do I have to lose?"

Lloyd swallowed, trying to think fast even as he slowed his speed. If they didn't make it through this barricade, Lloyd was dead. If they made it through, a woman and her kid were kidnapped and Lloyd was still dead. Ray and the team were nowhere in sight... Quickly Lloyd spared a glance at Lutz. No seatbelt. "You asked what I could do to stop you?" he spoke, snagging Lutz's attention briefly. "How about this?" Without another thought, Lloyd jerked the wheel to the right, sending them on a collision course with a telephone pole. Lutz only had seconds to protest before the car collided head on with a resounding crunch.

_TBC_


	6. Chapter 6

**Driving Lessons**

CHAPTER SIX

The grinding of metal was replaced after a few seconds by a steady ringing in the ears. Lloyd's vision swam, going dark in spots every time he moved his head. It had been years since he'd been drunk but he was reminded of the sensation now as he fought to hold on to consciousness. Thoughts came to him, unbidden, of the last time he'd been thoroughly smashed—the day before they came to arrest him for that girl's death...

The pain kicked in then, crashing into him like a tidal wave, and it jarred him out of his reverie. The type of pain he experienced the last time he got drunk was a very different kind of pain than what he was experiencing now, that was for sure. A particularly sharp jolt ran down his left leg and Lloyd winced. _At least you're still alive_.

A few seconds that felt more like hours later, Lloyd blinked to steady his vision and remembered where he was—and who was riding shotgun. Turning sharply to the right, Lloyd saw Harold Lutz—surprisingly still conscious as well—slumped over the dashboard, bleeding heavily but rousing nonetheless. Lloyd couldn't help but feel a little victorious.

"That's Lowery Law, buddy," he cheered. "Always wear a seatbelt. How's that working out for you now?"

BKBKBKBKBK

When a well-placed bullet halted their pursuit of the stolen vehicle with their teammate inside, Ray was furious—after an appropriate period of nervousness while Erica expertly regained control of the wheel. Their car sputtered to a halt, the civilian vehicles around them slowing as well, looking on in curiosity and fear. The car was blocking two and a half lanes of the highway and wasn't going anywhere for now.

The danger over, Ray moved on to furious, cursing as he slammed a fist on the dashboard. The trio got out of the vehicle, waving to the nearest squad car as civilian traffic continued to inch by, too engrossed in their daily hustle and bustle to realize a chase was happening around them. Erica and Shea watched helplessly as the Honda with Lloyd and Lutz sped away, but it was only a few moments before they heard the inevitable screeching sound they were all fearing.

"They crashed!" Erica shouted, setting off on foot down the shoulder of the highway, Ray trailing close behind with Shea. They reached the scene of the accident before any of the uniformed officers, out of breath but alert as they surrounded the vehicle. Erica was the first, surprised to find both men still conscious. She yanked the driver's side door open just in time to see Lutz scramble for the gun still laying in his lap. He pointed it at the two of them, but his upper hand was short-lived as Ray's gun appeared alongside the smashed passenger's side window, inches away from Lutz's temple.

"Not so fast, dirtbag," Ray crooned, reaching in and snatching the gun away from the convict, who was too tired and beaten to put up a fight anymore. Ray practically ripped the door off its hinges as Shea appeared and helped the marshal pull Lutz from the vehicle, shoving him roughly to the ground and ignoring his pained protests.

The rest of the squad cars reached them then, sirens blaring as they ground to a halt at the scene. Above the cacophony, Ray shouted back to the pair, "Erica, how's our boy?"

Erica inspected the cut on Lloyd's forehead that sent a stream of blood down the side of his face. Blood dripped from a split lip as well and he had a few scrapes on his arms. His leg looked worse for the wear and cradled his right hand protectively but other than that he seemed to be alright.

"I think I'm ready for my driver's test now," Lloyd joked feebly, shaking a bit now that the immediate danger had passed and the severity of the day's events could finally set in. "Except for that last part, I was doing pretty well!"

"He'll be fine," Erica rolled her eyes, prodding Lloyd's side for good measure. He winced and recoiled; no doubt the seatbelt would leave a bruise but otherwise it had done its job. Noticing the violent trembling and his failed attempt to still it, Erica felt a pang of sympathy and reached out to take Lloyd's uninjured hand in her own, her thumb casually stroking the back of his hand the way she used to for her daughter when she had a nightmare. Both seemed aware of how uncharacteristically soft this gesture was for the brunette, but neither said a word. Lloyd just looked up, silently thanking her for being there.

The uniformed officers came and took over for Ray and Shea so they could join their injured teammate, still waiting for paramedics to extract him from the car. The wail of the ambulance siren could be heard nearby.

"Nice job with the bread crumbs, Hansel," Ray said, leaning over Erica's shoulder to check on his team member.

"Always here to help," Lloyd said, leaning back against the seat and squeezing his eyes shut as another wave of nausea washed over him. "I was hoping for a... less painful way of bringing this one in but, you know, things don't always go according to plan..."

"Hang in there, buddy, you're gonna be alright," Shea piped up, lingering at the back. The ambulance arrived and the trio backed off to let them work. Within fifteen minutes, both Lloyd and the runner were packed away in separate ambulances en route to the hospital, Ray promising to follow with Shea and Erica at Lloyd's behest.

When they departed, Ray looked at each of his remaining team members, relieved beyond measure that their number had not been reduced for the second time that week. He didn't think he could handle a second funeral so soon after Charlie... Erica gave him an approving nod, her ease a direct contrast to her earlier moodiness. This one had been a little more hard-earned than some of the others, but they did it. And realized there were things far more important to get back than a simple month off their sentences.

"C'mon, let's head out," Ray said, gesturing to the squad car they would be riding back in while the SUV was towed. A buzzing sound caught his attention as he climbed in the passenger's side and Ray peeked at it then looked up to Erica and Shea, eyes wide. "Oh, shit."

"What is it?"

"I forgot to call Julianne."

BKBKBKBKBK

It was a sunny afternoon a week later when Ray pulled up in front of the hospital in the newly-repaired SUV. He'd already been inside to fill out the paperwork needed to check Lloyd out and left him in front to retrieve the car so he wouldn't have to walk far. He needn't have worried about the con getting far if he tried to run—the plaster cast encasing his left leg was a pretty hefty deterrent.

The orderly helped Lloyd stow his crutches in the back seat as Ray helped him inside the car carefully. Lloyd shifted uncomfortably, careful to mind his bruised ribs and the two broken fingers on his right hand. It had been a messy accident, but all in all, Lloyd had been lucky. Lutz had been less so, but the convict had also survived and had already been shipped to a more secure prison hospital.

"Are you sure you couldn't get me _one more day_ here?" Lloyd asked in his best 'pretty please' voice after they were shut in the car together. Ray had already gotten him three days longer than the the higher ups were willing to allow, but it was time to go back to Maybelle. The prison hospital would take care of him from there on in.

"No can do, buddy," Ray apologized and Lloyd cursed light-heartedly. Hospital food had been only marginally better than prison food, but at least he'd had the TV all to himself. And a room _mostly_ to himself. And it didn't hurt that Julianne came to visit him almost every day...

"Well, thanks anyway for the little... mini-vacation." Lloyd winked and settled into the seat, reaching out to adjust the radio to a more favorable station. The persistant shaking of his hand did not go unnoticed by Ray.

"I think you earned this one," Ray said, and moved to put the SUV into gear but stopped, lowering his arms.

"What is it?"

"Lloyd, I just wanted to say... I'm sorry."

"For taking me back to Maybelle? _Please_, Raymond, you don't have to apologize for th—"

"No, not _that_," Ray stopped him. "I'm sorry that I haven't been handling the whole Charlie thing very well with you guys. I got so caught up in everything that happened afterwards, that I think I overlooked the fact that you're not used to this kinda stuff. I'm used to being around law enforcement. I'm used to having a team that knows the game. Charlie knew the risks of the job. Shea is used to violence. And Erica? Well, she could probably kick all our asses. I know she knows how to handle herself but you're not like us. You don't deal with death every day and... and I wanna make sure you're dealing with it alright." Ray paused, fingers tapping the wheel. "Y'know, I call you guys 'animals' and I give you a lot of shit but it's easy to forget that, maybe, y'know, I could be a little nicer..."

Lloyd nodded thoughtfully. "I have been asking myself all week if I'm in the right line of work. I know I'm not handling it well... but I intend to try harder. I'll continue talking to Lorenzo; I think you were right when you said I need to talk to _someone_."

"It doesn't have to be Lorenzo," Ray conceded. "You can, y'know, talk to... _me_, if you want. If that helps..." Ray averted his gaze awkwardly.

A small grin tugged at the corner of Lloyd's lips. "As much as I would _love_ seeing you clumsily fumble your way through that conversation, I think I'll stick with the professional. Dr. Lorenzo isn't a 'quack', and contrary to popular belief, I _don't_ know _everything_."

Ray scoffed as he put the SUV into gear and pulled out onto the street. "You don't say..."

"It's true." Lloyd settled back into the chair, folding his arms. "I just know that I can't quit now. I've failed at everything I've ever tried but this—what we're doing—this is important. People like Lutz and Damien... they need to go back where they belong." _And so do you, until you make this right_, Lloyd added in his head. "And I intend to help them get there."

"Good," Ray nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. You didn't hear it from me, but we need you. Especially if we're gonna get that sonufabitch that got Charlie."

"We will." Lloyd hadn't been so sure a week ago but somehow, after his ordeal, he was feeling a lot more positive. He hesitated, then added, "You're doing a good job, you know."

"I don't know about that," Ray winced. "Some pretty big shoes to fill..."

"The position was yours no matter what happened. Charlie wanted it this way." They pulled out onto the highway, merging with traffic. Lloyd had a brief flash of crashing into a pole that he blinked away. _The danger is over_, he told himself, releasing the door handle he didn't realize he'd been clutching. In an attempt to calm his nerves, he glanced over at Ray. "So, think you'll let me drive on our next job, now that I've had a little practice?"

"Not on your life," Ray smirked. "That's one thing I know Charlie _wouldn't_ have wanted."

"Fair enough." Lloyd nodded. "Just as long as you remember, _you're_ the one who gave me the keys in the first place..."

_THE END_


End file.
